Talk Back: Claiming Black History & Storytelling For More Just Future : Take The Lead 5/26/2026

The Power To Stop Living Someone Else’s Blueprint

By Laura Simms

For years, I thought the problem was that I couldn’t figure out the “right” career. I read the books. Took the assessments. Talked about it in therapy. I learned a lot about myself, but I still felt stuck.

What I eventually realized was that none of those resources were helping me answer the deeper question underneath it all: What kind of life am I actually trying to build?

At the time, I was going through my own career crisis after working as an actor. My identity, relationships, routines, and future had all been wrapped up in that world. Letting go of it felt overwhelming. I didn’t just need a new job. I needed a new direction for my life.

5 Theories And The Question No One Wants To Ask About Babies

Novelist Jane Smiley observed that pregnancy is the most public of private conditions.

Smiley captures the paradox of the maternal experience. While the physical, emotional, and psychological journey of gestation is intensely intimate and internal, a pregnant woman's body inherently becomes the subject of public observation, societal commentary, workplace policy, and political debate.

Today, that public condition is more often observed about women who are not pregnant or child rearing.

🏆 Power Tool Champion Spotlight: Dr. Randee Sanders

"I became a curator of credentials instead of the architect of my own liberation."

Dr. Randee Sanders, 2025 Power Tool Champion for Power Tool #1 — Know Your History, followed all the rules. Then she chose liberation over credentials.

Nominations for the 3rd Annual Power Tool Champions Awards are now open. If you've completed a TTL course, program, or Power Tools certification — you are eligible. Self-nominations are strongly encouraged.

👉 Learn more + nominate: https://www.taketheleadwomen.com/powertoolcampaign